Cleantech Friday by Steve Guengerich

A few years ago (back in the pre-VC days of cleantech), the good folks from the local office of Environmental Defense bought me a cup of coffee and told me about this cool website they were just getting cranked up.

What I liked about the message that Molly Stevens and Jim Marston were making about the website was that it was intended to be more than another emotional plea for donations.  Rather, it was a rational, data-based reference resource that got your "head" involved, to go with your "heart" in understanding EDF’s positions.

My dad always said, if you want to find a good business to be in, look for one with a line coming out the door.  So, I went to the website, Scorecard, and browsed around a bit.  What I liked about it - seen through the lens of a cleantech entrepreneur - is that it provided a powerful magnifying lens into the data reflecting critical trends with the environment.

Sure, most of the "uplift" in cleantech investing currently seems to be in the area of solving the energy supply crunch; just look at the current week’s deal flow - biomass, wind, solar, smart grid, etc. 

However, there are still very real and pressing problems that exist and are getting greater every day:  a growing line out the global door of communities that need cleantech products and services to help keep them livable.  A source like www.Scorecard.org gets you familiar with those problems and the fundamental data associated with them.  Go ahead: type in your zip code and give it a try.

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Filed under: CleanTech